Fated Always

By Becky Flade

Friendship. Secrets. Murder.

When her best friend, Sawyer Gavin, roars into town on his motorcycle, Tala Gael thinks life couldn’t get any better. What she couldn’t have anticipated was his appearance heralding a time of change in her quiet, comfortable existence.

With her life turned upside down, Tala resists Sawyer’s advances, clinging to the familiar. Tragedy changes her mind, but as she takes the leap of faith into Sawyer’s arms, they find themselves suspects in a murder investigation. And Tala learns she’s not the only person in Trappers’ Cove keeping an impossible secret.

Jealousy is when you worry someone will take what you have; envy is coveting what someone else has; and both can lead to murder.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
• Release date: Aug 12, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005142889

Becky Flade

no biography available at this time

Book preview

Chapter One

The air fanning down from the mountains smelled of snow mixed with the sweet odor of fresh-cut grass and new spring blooms. Winter had finally given over to spring. The muddy flooding that marked the annual thawing had passed. And life, in town and the forest, began anew.

Tala Gael strolled down Main Street, her pace unhurried, enjoying the cool scented breeze, the bursts of bright colors budding from newly planted flower boxes, and the happy crawl of life in Trappers’ Cove. The town bustled, or at least as close to bustle as it could, as children played tag in the warm sunlight and their parents stood in groups chatting with friends and neighbors.

She lived in the town of her birth, surrounded by the familiar and beloved, and worked in the forest that stood sentry around her home. She spent her morning with the wolves she researched - the ones she considered family - and like the townspeople children, new pups frolicked. Everyone and everything she loved celebrated the passage of winter. She had everything she’d ever wanted. Life couldn’t get much better.

She stepped inside the Cove Diner and smiled. Generation after generation, the residents of the Cove met here for food, laughter, and the latest gossip. She had her first milkshake, her first date, and her first break-up within these walls. From the wide, speckled counter outfitted with vintage red vinyl stools and matching booths and the servers in their pink uniforms and lace-doily nametags, the diner’s decor reflected a bygone era with a classy nostalgia that kept it just this side of kitsch. Not a detail had changed in at least Tala’s lifetime – not even after Ma and Old Man Stevens retired.

He sat in what had become their booth, his eyes on his phone as he ticked through a message or perused the news. She dallied a moment watching him. His short, thick auburn hair framed an angular face with sharp features. Derrick Sloane would look imposing if not for the splash of freckles she sensed embarrassed him. The suit he wore was an expensive, but unpretentious, gray linen, and hid a wiry strength.

They’d been dating long enough to have a favorite booth at the diner, but it was new. They were taking their time, getting to know one another, and she preferred it that way. But looking at him now, feeling tiny flutters of attraction, maybe it was time to move things to a more intimate level. He was smart, engaging, and attractive. Why am I waiting?

She flashed a bright smile as she slid into the booth. Sorry. I got held up.

Hey, beautiful. He laid his phone down and took her fingers in his. The lines around his whiskey brown eyes creased when he smiled. I don’t have much time. I’ve another appointment with Penny and her mother. I ordered you the BLT.

What about this time?

She wants to change the flowers. Again. From red roses to pink Asiatic lilies. Of course, the roses were already ordered.

Mix the roses with the lilies, Tala suggested.

Genius. He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a sweet kiss over her knuckles. Why didn’t I think of that?

A shaft of light shone through the window, striking her eye, and she turned toward it, squinting. Sunlight caught more chrome as the throaty growl of the motorcycle echoed down Main Street. A warm glow spread through her. Tala pulled her fingers free and leaned forward. She knew that sound, as she knew the beat of her own heart.

Tala?

She waved an absent hand in Derrick’s direction, keeping her eyes on the road. She smiled when the familiar Triumph rolled into view. Matte black and gunmetal gray with enough chrome to shine and flash, the bike brought as much attention as the throaty growl of the pipes. She did not need to see the rider to know he looked like a modern-day knight riding a dangerous steed. She launched herself from the booth and ran from the diner as the bike pulled up and parked outside Benickie Animal Clinic. He had already dismounted by the time she hit the street, and Tala slid to a stop when he turned and faced her. Sawyer.

He stood with his hands hooked in his jeans and a smile that lit her up inside. She loosed a loud whoop of joy that made heads turn in her direction as she broke into a sprint. She ignored the looks, the smiles sent her way as she ignored the blare of a horn from an indignant motorist. Sawyer stepped toward her in a familiar, casual, wide-legged swagger. His jeans hung loosely around narrow hips. The chain looped from his belt to behind his hip bounced against his leg under an unbuttoned flannel and a bright white T-shirt.

A few feet from him, she leaped into the air, confident he would catch her. He did. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and hugged him tight as he spun them both. He smelled of cigarettes, spearmint, the cologne he preferred, and sweat. She pulled back and, with both hands on his cheeks, studied him. His blonde hair was longer than it had been when she had seen him last. It hung over his collar, the ends near to brushing his shoulders. He sported a neatly groomed mustache and goatee beard that framed his perfect smile. His blue eyes blazed.

What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn’t be back until your mom’s wedding; that’s not for six more months.

I missed you, too.

I missed the hell out of you. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? she asked.

I wanted to surprise you.

Would you mind getting your hands off her ass?

Derrick. She had forgotten all about him. Tala peeked over Sawyer’s shoulder and smiled. He did not return the gesture.

I said… Derrick repeated.

I heard you.

Sawyer was not quick to temper, but she recognized the tone of his voice and the note of warning under the words. She had imagined a better introduction.

Put me down, she whispered. Sawyer let her go but slow. Her body slid down his and the friction of his torso against hers caused a confusing sensation deep in her stomach. Shaking it off, she stepped between them.

Derrick, I’d like to introduce you to Sawyer Gavin. Sawyer, this is Derrick Sloane. He’s the manager over at the inn and a friend. She said it with enough force Sawyer would understand Derrick was more than a friend.

Derrick extended his hand. I’ve heard a lot about you. Your mother is a lovely woman.

Thank you. I’ve heard of you, but that’s about it. Sawyer looked at her. Derrick’s hand fell to his side. Are you dating this guy?

I am.

Sawyer walked away. Her jaw dropped.

That was the Sawyer you’re always talking about? Not impressed. Derrick took her hand.

She watched Sawyer until he disappeared inside the veterinary hospital. Tala turned and laid her hand on Derrick’s chest. I’m sorry about that. He’s normally not rude. I don’t know what got into him.

Seemed like he was jealous of me.

That’s silly. He’s my best and oldest friend. She looped her arms around his waist. Let’s finish lunch.

Derrick checked his watch. I can’t. I’ll be late for my appointment. Can’t leave Penny and her mom alone for more than five minutes without an all-out war erupting.

She walked with him to the diner, waving as he pulled out of the parking lot in his Mercedes. It was a lovely car, but he’d have problems in the fall, once the snow came down off the mountains, through to the following springtime.

Tala marched across the street to the animal hospital and into the waiting area where the receptionist, Gloria, greeted her warmly—Tala had gone all through school with her granddaughter—and invited her to go on back. Such was life in a small town.

Sawyer stood with his back to the door, in quiet conversation with Benickie.

What the hell is wrong with you?

He turned toward her, his face schooled but his eyes hot.

I have a puppy waiting for me in the surgical suite. Benickie’s mouth struggled not to smile. Nice seeing you, Tala.

Hi, Doc. She stared at Sawyer until Benickie slipped from the room then strode to him. You were rude.

Why didn’t you tell me you were involved with someone?

She didn’t know why she had not told Sawyer about Derrick. She could make excuses but they would be that – excuses. She shrugged. What’s it to you?

What are you wearing? Where are the ancient hiking boots you refuse to replace? Why do you smell like flowers instead of being out rolling in a bed of them? Looks like you raided Henley’s closet.

His words hurt. She had traded her uniform for a pair of comfortable gray slacks, a cream peasant blouse, and charcoal ballet flats. She had brushed her dark hair into thick waves she allowed to lay in loose curls down her back, before spritzing herself with the perfume she saved for special events. She stepped back. Sawyer’s expression softened and he reached out, pulling her to him. She folded her lanky, athletic body into his larger one.

I’m sorry. He ran his hands over her back, tangled them in her hair, and tugged. You were right. I’m an ass. You look nice.

She snorted.

No, you do. Really. You don’t look like you. I wasn’t expecting that. Or the boyfriend.

He rubbed his hands over her back, again, and a tug, not unlike lust, pulled at her. The sensation was familiar but not. Like when she’d slid down his body in the street. A hotter, more intense version of the flutters she’d felt in the diner. Panic skated over her spine. This isn’t right. Tala fought the urge to step away, to distance herself from him and her odd response. To keep it normal she stayed in Sawyer’s arms. What’s going on? Why are you in town this early?

Benickie wants to retire but he doesn’t want to turn his practice over to a stranger. We’re talking about my working with him for a few months while he dials back his hours and I see if it’s a good fit for me.

Here? Like permanently? Her heartbeat stuttered.

Potentially. Depends on the next few months and… he hesitated, …stuff.

Stuff? Sounds official.

It is.

He chuckled and her heart quieted, her pulse calmed. This was familiar. This was family. She stepped back, confident now that the moment passed, and hopped onto an exam table. When she’d walked Derrick back to his car, she’d dipped inside the diner. With a grin, she pulled her sandwich from the to-go bag the waitress had packed for her.

Talk to your mom lately? She asked around her mouthful of food.

Yeah. She’s in full-on crazy mode with the wedding coming up. How’s your mom? He stole a fry from the bag and leaned a hip against the table beside her.

Busy. Between the ranch, her books, and taking care of Sly, she’s exhausted, and I’m worried about her. Dad is too. I think she misses your mom. Not that she’ll admit it. Tala sighed. It had scared her when her surrogate grandfather, Sly, had a debilitating stroke but she’d never expected the rift his medical condition would cause between the families. I wish they’d get over themselves and make up already.

They will. They always do.

I don’t know. It feels different this time. Dad and Gabe aren’t talking either. Carter and your aunt have been trying to mend those fences, but...they didn’t think it would go on this long.

How is Sly? Sawyer asked.

Ornery. He hates being at the main house with Mom and Dad, hates not being with the horses, and hates the nurse mom hired. He’s angry that his mind is still sharp but his body isn’t.

He’s dying. You know that, right?

She bit into her sandwich to avoid answering. He took her hand, not allowing her to escape him or the truth. Sawyer never would allow either.

Right?

I know. But not today. He isn’t dying today.

I’ve got time to kill, and an idea I want to run past your parents. Come with me; we’ll visit together.

I can’t. She beamed. I got the grant and my equipment is due to be delivered this afternoon.

Yes! He picked her up and swirled her. I knew you would. Didn’t I tell you?

You did. She laughed.

I interrupted a celebration lunch with your boyfriend.

You did. And you’re going to need to apologize to him for being rude.

Sawyer dropped her to her feet. That’s not going to happen.

I’m serious, she started. Tala spotted the time on the clock above the wall. Crap. I’m late.

You’re pissed at me.

I’m not. I’m not, she insisted. If I’m not there to sign for the delivery, it could take another week to get the equipment I ordered shipped back out here. Tala shoved the remnants of her celebratory lunch into the empty sack. How about, weather permitting, you help me set up the cameras tomorrow and we’ll finish catching up?

Yeah?

Yeah. I’ll even make you dinner if you prove to be a solid assistant. She dropped a kiss on his cheek.

Sawyer moved his head and her lips landed on his. They were warm, firm and full, as they skimmed over hers in the barest whisper of a kiss. She tasted his cigarettes and the minty gum he favored on his breath. It was no more or less than the casual caress Derrick glanced over her fingers in the diner, but her skin tingled and the small hairs at her nape stood on end, as though she’d been brushed by an electric current. She jerked away.

Okay, um, haha, that was weird, she stuttered. I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow morning?

He nodded. His lips curved at the corners with the hint of a smile and his eyes blazed with an emotion she couldn’t identify. He looked confident, smug, as she backed toward the door. Her heart hammered under her ribs. Tala had a sudden need for the sun and the fresh air as the wide room with its high ceilings seemed closed and coffin-like. She yanked on the door handle.

Congratulations on the grant.

His voice stopped her from fleeing into the waiting room and out the doors to the street. I’m glad you’re home, she said.

So am I.

Chapter Two

The forest was alive all around them as the man and his young daughter treaded through the trees, careful not to disturb the animals or plants that called the acres of wildness behind their lands home. The girl was small and beautiful, no more than five years old, with wide, green eyes and curly hair the color of wet sand. A near image of the man holding her tiny hand and guiding her around the dead, fallen log that had given birth to green moss and tiny pink and white flowers. The child was, as she had been on every gentle hike with her dad, awed by the stunning display of nature. And when her father chose a boulder for them to rest on, one flattened by wind and rain into a natural pew, the child sat with her hands clutched in her lap as though in church.

Her father sighed, and the sound was melancholy. That wasn’t a word she knew, but it was an emotion with which she was familiar; the animals had shared their sadness with her in their way and she recognized a hurt from deep within. She leaned up and cupped his cheek in her chubby hand.

"Why are you sad, Daddy?"

He smiled, and her young heart swelled. He and her mother loved her as they loved each other. On this day, at this moment, life was good, she was happy, and the forest called to her.

"Remembering an old friend. He pinched her chin, she giggled. I feel closest to him here."

"Did he die like the tree?"

"Yes. And like the fallen log, his death brought beauty to the world."

She heard them first, before her father, before the rustle of leaves crunching underfoot or the thwop of a displaced branch springing back to its natural position. She heard them, but not with her ears, a moment before her father took her into his arms and cautioned her to hold still and be quiet. She had heard the wolves before the largest, the daddy of the pack, padded into the clearing where they had taken their brief respite.

Her father shifted as he stood, standing her on the boulder behind him and placing his body between her and the wolf whose name was Oona. She did not sense fear from her dad or violence from the wolf. However, their posture felt angry.

"He won’t hurt us, Daddy. It’s okay, she reassured him, her small hand on his shoulder. Right, Oona?"

"Yes, moonchild, you are safe. You are special."

The wolf lowered his muzzle, as though bowing, and disappeared between the bushes from whence he came. They listened, each in their way, the man and his child, as the pack continued on its way. Her father released a long breath and offered her a shaking hand. She took it and leaped to the forest floor, barely disturbing the heather around her feet before he gathered her close in a brief hug. The trek home was silent.

"You could hear the wolf, couldn’t you?" he asked as they reached the edge of the meadow leading to their home.

"Didn’t you?"

"No, baby. That’s just for you."

Tala smiled over the old, familiar memory as she adjusted the scope of the camera, one of several placed in a perimeter around the cave the wolf pack – her wolf pack – called home. It was an amazing thing, being able to communicate with the wolves, thought to thought, without even trying. She’d been young and instead of fear or awe, she accepted with the innocence of childhood. And not until she’d grown to adulthood did she realize how special it was that her parents never doubted her.

They hadn’t, not once, treated her as anything more or anything less than the daughter they loved. But they did impress upon her that she needed to keep her special talent a secret, for the world wouldn’t understand. And people tended to fear what they couldn’t understand. Others yet would try to use it to hurt her. Or hurt the wolves.

Her survival, as well as that of her pack, was essential. She kept the secret, guarded it, held it tightly to herself as something just for her, not even telling her best friend – who was out here now placing a second camera per her specific instructions – and had gone into the park ranger program after obtaining dual bachelor’s degrees in forestry preservation and zoology. This project, her research, was the basis for her doctorate. She would change the way the world viewed wolves. With understanding came respect, and respect would breed protection. And maybe someday she could tell the world of what she could do. Starting with Sawyer.

She smiled, locked the small wooden box, and moved to the next location. People always underestimated the woods. A canopy of tall trees speared twenty or thirty feet into the sky. The branches and their thick leaves reached much higher, forming a dome the sun fought to penetrate and under which an entire ecosystem thrived.

Her father taught her how to navigate the forest without disturbing whatever life thrived within the many layers of growth. Tala scrambled up a tree effortlessly and secured a camera at a downward angle intended to capture a different perspective. The shots would be well worth the time spent weeding out the non-pertinent frames this view would garner. She slid down and visually checked the area. Her impact was negligible.

She visited a zoo once when she had an interview for an internship. She never made it to the intern director’s office. The boredom and sadness the animals projected had broken her heart. She had done due diligence on the position, the animals had been born in captivity. They had never known freedom and they still suffered. She fled the zoo in tears. Her fate would be the same if she did not return to the Cove. The next day, she had applied to the National Park Service and never looked back.

The law enforcement element of her job was barely relevant; people in the Cove respected forestry. Her